The 7th Study Conference on BALTEX will summarize 20 years of interdisciplinary BALTEX research in the Baltic Sea basin and will present perspectives for future research. The conference title is two-fold: “Changes in energy, water and matter cycles” summarizes the scope of BALTEX research in the last 20 years; "Building regional earth System knowledge“ stands for the scientific vision of the new programme which will inherit and further develop the BALTEX research network and scientific legacy.
The main focus of BALTEX Phase I (1992–2003) was to explore and model the various mechanisms determining the space and time variability of energy and water budgets of the Baltic Sea drainage basin and the interactions with surrounding regions. In BALTEX Phase II (2003-2012), the scope was broadened to include research on regional climate change and biogeochemical fluxes in a changing environment.
Major achievements of the past 20 years as well as latest research results from the open call for papers will be presented along with prospects and visions for the future regional Earth system research programme for the Baltic Sea basin.
Topics
The conference topics will reflect the past 20 years of BALTEX research with an emphasis on the scientific objectives of BALTEX Phase II. Presentations along the following topics are welcome:
- Improved understanding of energy and water cycles under changing conditions. This topic inherits the major questions from BALTEX Phase I, encompassing operational issues and observations and modelling of the water and energy cycle.
- Analysis of climate variability and change, and provision of regional climate projections over the Baltic Sea basin for the 21st century. This topic encompasses contributions to observation, analysis and modelling of past and present climate change, and projections for future climate change.
- Provision of improved tools for water management, with an emphasis on extreme hydrological events and long-term changes. This topic covers operational and management issues related to a changed water cycle with its extremes and long-term changes, including analysis, modelling and decision support systems for decision makers.
- Biogeochemical cycles in the Baltic Sea basin and transport processes within the regional Earth system under anthropogenic influence. This topic describes changes in the biogeochemistry, with multiple stressors on ecosystems of potental societal relevance to be identified and quantified, and their impacts discussed.
Part of the conference shall be devoted to contributions from GEWEX, the Global Energy and Water Exchanges Project of WCRP, and other Regional Hydroclimate Projects under the roof of GEWEX, as well as presentations from finalised BONUS+ projects. Overview presentations from both BALTEX phases will be given as well as prospects for the new programme to be lauched at the conference.